Tomorrow - Two Months Later
Okay. It's been two months since I said that I would update on London tomorrow. I was busy. I'm sure that the casual reader will get over it. I really want to get back to political commentary but I feel it necessary to complete this first.
We finally got on the bus and began our tour of London. The only complaint about the bus tour is that you usually notice something that you would like to explore as you drive past and it is too late to get off of the bus and check it out. In a remarkable moment of clarity, I asked several people what they would make sure that they saw if they only had one day to spend in London. Every one of them said that we should see the Tower of London, without a doubt. So as we looked at the bus map, we were a little leery of spending too much time in the morning on different things because we didn't want to miss the Tower.
We saw Kensington Palace, St. Paul's, Madame Tussaud's, and we came upon the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square. Actually an unusual statue caught our eye and we had to learn more about it. It was the Alison Lapper statue. We took pictures of it and the family in and around all of the statuary. Some came out really nice and we were glad that we stopped.
We then had lunch at the great British staple, McDonald's. We ordered the standard fare that we normally get in the states. Over here it costs around $20.00. There it cost 28 pounds. That's $56.00 American! This ended up being one of the least expensive meals we had on the local economy. The locals don't really make that much differently from us so it is hugely expensive for them. That's why there is such disparity between the haves and have-nots. It's good to be an American.
We got back on the bus and saw Big Ben and Parliament, the big ferris wheel for the millennium celebration, and Downing street. The street is blocked off and guarded 24-7 by British troops. All of the stuff you see on the news of the British PM coming out of #10 and walking down the street is a staged event for the press. They are the only ones allowed down there. Makes you feel confident of the realism of your newscasts doesn't it?
It was just past the horse guards that a group of four middle-eastern men and two women got on the bus. We were approaching Parliament and I was frankly nervous. Yep, it's profiling but I don't really care. I was watching them closely and since we were on an open-top bus, I figured that if Abdul decided to do anything out of the ordinary, he would get a flying lesson. I didn't know if I would see them do anything or not but if I did, I was going to be ready. My paranoia proved to be unfounded but I don't apologize for it. When southern rednecks start blowing up buses and planes (this doesn't count the broken down ones in their front yards) then I'll start profiling them. Meanwhile, it's middle-eastern men.
We crossed the Thames over London bridge. For those of you who haven't been to London, it's not the one that you are thinking of. It's a normal bridge like many others in the city. The one that most people think of is the Tower Bridge. We crossed that one too. Finally we arrived at the Tower of London.
The Tower is actually the ancient castle of the monarchy from the time of Edward II. We saw his bedroom and some artifacts. The Scotsman in us wanted to wretch but we contained ourselves, almost. My younger son apparently developed a problem with flatulence over lunch. He chose the bedroom to release his most vile byproduct and it cleared the room for a good fifteen minutes. Mom was embarrassed almost to the point of tears. That or it was the fumes. I was so proud of him!
We continued to explore the old castle and grounds. We saw the armors and standards of the kings and wooden likenesses of their mounts. These were life-size models of the horses. It was pretty impressive. Henry VIII apparently had one part of his anatomy that he really wanted to protect. Given his ego, I bet he had a hard time filling up that portion of his armor. Then we made our was in to see the crown jewels.
I don't know if I've seen more spectacular jewels anywhere. They were beautiful, impressive, and perfect. It really did emphasize the richness of the empire. Overall, the tower was the highlight of the tour and I'm glad we made it the focal point of our visit to London.
We got back on the bus and started back toward Victoria Station. We got off at Buckingham Palace to take pictures. It was here that Brenda lost our receipt which served as the ticket to the bus tour. Since we couldn't get back on, we had to walk the last mile to the station. The kids complained but they were politely ignored. I initially started us out in the wrong direction but we eventually got going the right way. We passed in back of Buckingham and I thought that there was someone in London that would be right at home in New Mexico. The back of the palace was full of junk and trash from an ongoing renovation. It looked a lot like the back yards of some houses around here. There's a redneck in charge there, I know it.
We at last got to the bus station and exchanged our tickets for earlier ones to Stanstedt. When we got there we learned that smart travelers plan their vacations and make hotel reservations. We aren't that smart so we got to spend the night on hard plastic chairs in the airport. Finally the next morning, we got on the first plane available to Glasgow. At last, we were headed to Scotland.
We finally got on the bus and began our tour of London. The only complaint about the bus tour is that you usually notice something that you would like to explore as you drive past and it is too late to get off of the bus and check it out. In a remarkable moment of clarity, I asked several people what they would make sure that they saw if they only had one day to spend in London. Every one of them said that we should see the Tower of London, without a doubt. So as we looked at the bus map, we were a little leery of spending too much time in the morning on different things because we didn't want to miss the Tower.
We saw Kensington Palace, St. Paul's, Madame Tussaud's, and we came upon the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square. Actually an unusual statue caught our eye and we had to learn more about it. It was the Alison Lapper statue. We took pictures of it and the family in and around all of the statuary. Some came out really nice and we were glad that we stopped.
We then had lunch at the great British staple, McDonald's. We ordered the standard fare that we normally get in the states. Over here it costs around $20.00. There it cost 28 pounds. That's $56.00 American! This ended up being one of the least expensive meals we had on the local economy. The locals don't really make that much differently from us so it is hugely expensive for them. That's why there is such disparity between the haves and have-nots. It's good to be an American.
We got back on the bus and saw Big Ben and Parliament, the big ferris wheel for the millennium celebration, and Downing street. The street is blocked off and guarded 24-7 by British troops. All of the stuff you see on the news of the British PM coming out of #10 and walking down the street is a staged event for the press. They are the only ones allowed down there. Makes you feel confident of the realism of your newscasts doesn't it?
It was just past the horse guards that a group of four middle-eastern men and two women got on the bus. We were approaching Parliament and I was frankly nervous. Yep, it's profiling but I don't really care. I was watching them closely and since we were on an open-top bus, I figured that if Abdul decided to do anything out of the ordinary, he would get a flying lesson. I didn't know if I would see them do anything or not but if I did, I was going to be ready. My paranoia proved to be unfounded but I don't apologize for it. When southern rednecks start blowing up buses and planes (this doesn't count the broken down ones in their front yards) then I'll start profiling them. Meanwhile, it's middle-eastern men.
We crossed the Thames over London bridge. For those of you who haven't been to London, it's not the one that you are thinking of. It's a normal bridge like many others in the city. The one that most people think of is the Tower Bridge. We crossed that one too. Finally we arrived at the Tower of London.
The Tower is actually the ancient castle of the monarchy from the time of Edward II. We saw his bedroom and some artifacts. The Scotsman in us wanted to wretch but we contained ourselves, almost. My younger son apparently developed a problem with flatulence over lunch. He chose the bedroom to release his most vile byproduct and it cleared the room for a good fifteen minutes. Mom was embarrassed almost to the point of tears. That or it was the fumes. I was so proud of him!
We continued to explore the old castle and grounds. We saw the armors and standards of the kings and wooden likenesses of their mounts. These were life-size models of the horses. It was pretty impressive. Henry VIII apparently had one part of his anatomy that he really wanted to protect. Given his ego, I bet he had a hard time filling up that portion of his armor. Then we made our was in to see the crown jewels.
I don't know if I've seen more spectacular jewels anywhere. They were beautiful, impressive, and perfect. It really did emphasize the richness of the empire. Overall, the tower was the highlight of the tour and I'm glad we made it the focal point of our visit to London.
We got back on the bus and started back toward Victoria Station. We got off at Buckingham Palace to take pictures. It was here that Brenda lost our receipt which served as the ticket to the bus tour. Since we couldn't get back on, we had to walk the last mile to the station. The kids complained but they were politely ignored. I initially started us out in the wrong direction but we eventually got going the right way. We passed in back of Buckingham and I thought that there was someone in London that would be right at home in New Mexico. The back of the palace was full of junk and trash from an ongoing renovation. It looked a lot like the back yards of some houses around here. There's a redneck in charge there, I know it.
We at last got to the bus station and exchanged our tickets for earlier ones to Stanstedt. When we got there we learned that smart travelers plan their vacations and make hotel reservations. We aren't that smart so we got to spend the night on hard plastic chairs in the airport. Finally the next morning, we got on the first plane available to Glasgow. At last, we were headed to Scotland.
Labels: Fun Stuff
posted by Moneyman at 8:55 AM
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